Purpose: To get 100-120 workers and defenses up by the 30 minute mark.

Build order

This is the basic build i usually use to get to T3 with my strong economy on an average food map. If its a high food map, but a couple more on food, and if its a low food map, more to carbon.

8 food
4 carbon
2 food
4 carbon.
4 food
3 carbon
2 ore
3 nova
go to T2.

On the way to T2....
build a power core that covers your carbon, food, or both. build farms when needed, but make sure you'll be able to get two T2 buildings up.

In T2..

create two more workers to carbon.
make two buildings. Iusually start with a mech factory and a spaceport.
Go to T3. Target T3 time = 19-20 minutes. The faster you T3, the less resources you will have.

On the way to T3..

if an opponent gets to T3 way before you, immediately throw up a troop center and make some AA troopers. have them guard your farms and your carbon.
Also, get the carbon and farm upgrades as soon as you can.

T3.

ok, you are going to want around 3 more CC's. Put them near carbon and nova/ore, but avoid cliffs because you'll want to build famrs later im sure. at your first CC, get the motivator upgrades. get the T3 carbon and farm upgrades when you can. you are also going to need to get anti air turrets covering them, so put some new workers on ore. put the rest on carbon/farms.

You also want to do some kind of a raid. If you dont, your opponent will just boom too, and you could be outboomed. If you dont have a troop center, war center, or mech factory by now, make them. spend resources to make some defenses and upgrades, but KEEP ALL OF YOUR CC'S BUSY! Also, make sure you dont have idle workers. Make new carbon centers closer to the carbon that hasn't been chopped away.
Once you have a small strike force (mechs, fighters, whatever) go ahead and distract the opponent. do a pummel drop on his power core, CC, or military buildings backed up by mechs (or jedi if you like).

By the time you get around 100-120 workers, stop produce until you get the 1000 food 800 nova, then go to T4.
HOWEVER: never go to T4 if you are in a huge battle already and will fall behind by spending the food/nova.

Continue to upgrade and create! CHECK FOR IDLES!

Ok now you start amking units really based on your civ. I will use the GE as an example. What i want to do is start making some more Strike mechs or Mech destroyers, depending on what the enemy has. I want to get a fort up also by now.

I also want to be foward building. That means making your buildings near the opponent to get reinforcements faster. AS you are pushing him back with your GE repeaters, mechs, and anti air mobiles/artillery, keep building foward to claim the land and have more guys coming.
Make an animal nursery if you dont have one yet. Mounties can come in handy.

In T4, you may want to start trading. Unless you see at least 4 nova mines with at least 3 nova crystals in each, or each of your opponents is near extinction, then make about 5-10 trade carts and have them trade with your strongest ally.
Now, let me explain why your strongest ally, EVEN IF HE IS CLOSER. Yes, you wont get as much nova possibly, but if a weaker ally falls, your trade route is going to fall unless you took the time to have half of your army guarding just the route (which wouldnt be too smart). Then your carts will just die, as they cannot fight and cannot run that fast.

You want to upgrade what you will use in your army. First of all, build in the center of the map if you can, then expand to your enemies from there. I WILL CONTINUE TO USE THE GE AS AN EXAMPLE.
I am upgrading my strike mechs and mech destroyers to heavy. I am also getting the extra hp upgrades for them. My war center is busy until i cant research out of it no more (except for grenader training). I have repeater troopers now, and have upgraded at my fort to Dark Trooper phase two. I am using more military buildings to create repeaters, AA MOBILES, Mechs, AA MOBILES, and artillery. I am aware that I said AA mobiles twice, because they are very important. When resources allow, research to heavy artillery and heavy AA Mobile.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many rookies make the following mistake. They have all the good upgrades and have FU units! Great! But WHOOPS! They actually dont have any units created. They are attacked. Bye bye.
You have to be making the units that you are upgrading while you upgrade. HAVE MULTIPLE OF EACH MILITARY BUILDING!

I am definately attacking someone b now. Lets say im attacking the rebels. He sends fighters, mechs, and troopers to fight. I have my anti air mobiles take out his air, his air retreat and he stops creating fighters. My strike mechs and mech destoryers are taking his troopers and mechs out because his guys are firing at my troopers (hopefully).
At this point in the game, make a nursery. Mounted troopers are very cheap to replace and are fast to make. They are the solution to when your opponent starts hording artillery. Also, keep in mind how easy to replace troopers are. If in a battle you have the choice of sacrificing your troopers or sacrificing your mechs/artillery, have the troopers fight.

As I am pushing my opponent back and destroying his buildings, i am having workers of my own follow my army, continously foward building. The foward buildings constantly are reproducing reinforcements.
In late game because of my trading, i eventually have lots of nova. I have some fun and make Assault Mechs or Sith Masters, as long as they wont be wiped out.

Make sure your home workers keep gathering carbon and farming. Keep making new Carbon Centers near new forests to keep the produce up. Watch your battles, keep your economy going, have a little defense at the alert, KEEP THE OFFENSIVE, and you should be set.

Good luck soldier!

[This message has been edited by MattTheGreat_II (edited 05-06-2002 @ 03:33 PM).]